Bills Critical to Trauma Care Funding Pass House
Emergency Nurses Association commends House, urges Senate and president to act
March 19, 2015 – The Emergency Nurses Association commends Reps. Michael Burgess (R-TX) and Gene Green (D-TX) for their leadership on trauma care funding, congratulates the House for passing H.R. 647 and H.R. 648 and urges the Senate to act quickly on the legislation. Enactment of these two bipartisan bills is needed to prevent the closure of more trauma centers and expand access to trauma care across the country.
“Trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans 44 and younger, yet 45 million Americans lack access to a trauma center within the ‘golden hour’ when life-saving treatment is most effective,” said ENA President Matthew F. Powers, MS, BSN, RN, MICP, CEN. “It is critical that these bills pass the Senate and be signed into law in 2015. There has been no funding for state trauma systems since 2005 and many more trauma centers will close if funding is not available.”
H.R. 647, the Access to Life-Saving Trauma Care for All Americans Act, would provide assistance directly to trauma centers to prevent any further closures. Nearly 30 centers already have closed in the past 15 years, exacerbating an already critical problem. H.R. 647 also would continue trauma service availability grants, which are administered by the states to address shortfalls in trauma services and improve access to trauma care in underserved areas.
H.R. 648, the Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act, would provide federal grants to support the development of state and rural trauma systems and provide funds to establish pilot projects to design, implement and evaluate innovative models of regionalized emergency care.
The bills are now headed to the Senate for consideration.
Trauma care is expensive and cannot survive without support. For those who must receive treatment within the “golden hour,” the cost of a life saved is immeasurable. ENA is committed to persuading legislators to act on authorizing legislation and funding trauma care centers.
Media Contact:
Marie Grimaldi
Communications & PR Manager, ENA
847.460.4080
mgrimaldi@ena.org
About the Emergency Nurses Association
The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) is the premier professional nursing association dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing through advocacy, education, research, innovation, and leadership. Founded in 1970, ENA has proven to be an indispensable resource to the global emergency nursing community. With more than 40,000 members worldwide, ENA advocates for patient safety, develops industry-leading practice standards and guidelines, and guides emergency healthcare public policy. ENA members have expertise in triage, patient care, disaster preparedness, and all aspects of emergency care. Additional information is available at www.ena.org.
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